I'll Follow You Into the Dark
by IseeTHEfunnySIDE
Summary: Jennifer Dawes is the younger sister of Rachel Dawes and has never been able to find her niche in society. Bruce/OC This story will diverge from the movies but will stay on track with most main plot points. Major rewrite in progress.
1. My Life

Disclaimer: I do not own The Dark Knight

Chapter 1: My Life

The world is a mysterious place and I have never been able to figure it out. I'm not even sure that I really want to figure it out because that would require me to thrust myself into the dangers that Gotham has to offer and I don't really want to associate myself with types like Lau, Salvatore Maroni, or the Joker.

My name is Jennifer Dawes and my life has never been particularly easy for me to live. My older sister is Rachel Dawes and she has always been the perfect one in my parent's eyes and because of her my parents set the highest bars for me to jump over, but I've never been able to jump that high. Even though I probably should resent Rachel I don't because it just gives me all the more reason to _not_ be like my sister.

Rachel and I look pretty much the same. We are both 5'9" and have brown hair, but she has blue eyes and I have green. There are some differences in our facial shape because her face is round and doll like while mine is more square and defined. Basically she reflects our mother more and I reflect our father more.

My sister has always gone for the men who belong to the highest parts of society, the upper crust if you will. I'm nothing like that, I go for the opposite. I go for the type of guy who hangs out in biker bars and probably sleeps with every skank on lower Broadway. I think it's because I'm afraid to get my heart truly broken by the perfect man so I go for a guy that I can say 'he was a jerk anyway' when the relationship goes down the shitter.

There is no simple way to sum up my life without going on some long diatribe so I simply won't. Once my sister was out of the house my parents moved me away from Gotham to the country so I spent my high school life with farm boys and girls who thought that showing anything above the knee was risqué. They said they were trying to broaden me so I could have the same sense of pride and class _like my sister._

Eventually I came back to Gotham and went to college for a few years but that didn't turn out very well for me so I decided to just drop out and simply get a job. The only part of my day that gives me solace is when I get to go down to Wayne Enterprises and bury myself in a good long book. I'm Bruce Wayne's secretary and since he is hardly ever in his office I never have anything to do except sit back and enjoy a good read.

Today was just another day in the office and I was reclining back in my comfy chair with my feet on my desk reading _Sense and Sensibility _by Jane Austen. My heels were making a clicking sound because I can never keep my feet still so they were clacking together.

I heard the sound of long, sure strides as someone walked quickly along the marble floors. My head shot up as someone pushed my feet off of my desk and sat down on it. I rolled my eyes at Bruce's goofy grin and continued to read. My concentration didn't last long because he began to talk.

"So, you busy tonight?" I set my book down on my desk and looked at him for a moment. I took in his black Valentino suit, red tie, and perfectly white smile and wondered why Rachel would _ever_ want to leave this man.

"Am I ever busy Bruce?"

"No, I guess not. You need to get yourself a life."

"Yeah, thanks. I'll just run down to Wal-Mart and grab one on my way home. Oh, hey do I get to charge it on the company credit card?" I loved the little games we played.

"On what grounds would I let you do that?"

"On the ground of you being an ass," I was probably the only person working at Wayne Enterprises that could talk to Bruce that way _and_ get away with it. It was probably due to the fact that he's known me since I was born; literally.

"Ouch, you cut right to the core of me," He placed his hand over his heart and feigned being hurt and I just laughed at him. "No, but seriously, I'm hosting a charity event for Harvey Dent tonight and I want you to be there."

I raised my eyebrows at him, "Is it mandatory for me to attend?"

"As your boss I demand that you be there and you need to be Rachel's rock for the night."

"Why can't you be her rock? I hate parties with the rich and glamorous," I whined and began to spin around in my chair.

"I know you do, but it would really mean a lot to her. Plus I'll have to fire you if you don't go."

I stared at him for a moment and knew that he wouldn't fire me, but I decided to go anyway, "Fine."

"Great, see you tonight." He began to go down the hall but turned around, "Wait, here."

Something plastic landed on top of my desk and when I looked down it was the company credit card, "What's this for?"

"To get yourself a life," He smiled at me one last time and walked off to the elevator.

As I spun the little piece of plastic in my fingers I knew exactly what he wanted me to do. He wanted me to buy the best dress that I could find; probably as compensation for me actually going to the stupid event.

"Thanks Bruce," I whispered to no one in particular and when I glanced at the clock it was 4 o'clock and that meant that it was time for me to go.

I quickly turned off my laptop and packed it into my bag along with my book and started toward the elevator. As I was going down I slipped on my parka and started to plan out exactly what kind of dress that I wanted to buy. In the back of my mind I was only focused on the fact that that there was no possible way that Rachel could upstage me tonight.


	2. Party Time

Disclaimer: I do not own The Dark Knight

Chapter 2: Party Time

I sighed for what seemed like the millionth time tonight because I was waiting for Rachel to come out of the bathroom. Somehow she managed to make everyone wait for her; for a few moments every day she always made it seem like the world revolved solely around her.

I was glad that Bruce had let me use the company card because I was able to find an absolutely beautiful red dress that actually wasn't that expensive, but I wouldn't have been able to afford it myself.

I had decided that a more conservative and classy makeup style would be best for tonight so I had eyeliner only on my top lid with a tan eye shadow and red lipstick.

I played with the hem of my dress, which went to my knees, and my fingers brushed the pistol that was strapped to my thigh. The day I was old enough to carry a gun I did, because you can't live in a place like Gotham without some sort of protection. So I figured that I would just go for broke and get a gun and I carry it with me almost all the time.

I looked at the clock again and noticed that Harvey was going to be here in ten minutes. I used my spare time to muse about Rachel and her men.

Somehow Rachel managed to snag the richest and most well known men in Gotham. Sure she was beautiful and pretty much perfect, but it was still a mystery to me how she was able to tame Bruce Wayne. They had dated for quite a while, but they were friends for years before that.

Rachel is 6 years older than me and her and Bruce have been friends since they were 4. Bruce saw me the day after I was born so when I say he's know me literally my entire life I meant _literally_.

Bruce is still madly in love with Rachel even though she is with Harvey Dent who is the perfect man: romantic, handsome, kind, and rich. I'm pretty sure that even though Rachel is with Harvey she is still in love with Bruce but she can't be with him because of his "secret" which isn't so secret to me. I know that he is batman and it blows me away that the people of Gotham haven't figured it out yet; I mean it's _so_ obvious.

Someone knocked on the door to Rachel's flat and I assumed that it could only be Harvey. I waited a moment and when Rachel showed no sign of coming out of the bathroom I walked over and opened the door.

My jaw almost dropped because Harvey looked _amazing_ and I wanted to jump him right there. Somehow I managed to control myself and I let him inside.

"Hey Harvey, how's it going?"

"Not too bad Jennifer, not too bad. May I say that you look exceptionally amazing tonight?" The cheesy grin that was plastered on his face almost made me go weak at the knees, but I held my composure.

"Well, you're not looking too bad yourself there old man." He let out a full laugh but immediately turned around when he heard the bathroom door open.

"Wow," I shared Harvey's amazement because once again Rachel had _somehow_ managed to one up me.

She was wearing a long and elegant black dress that showed some cleavage but not too much. She had her hair to the side and slightly curled. All I can say is that she simply looked better than me, and I knew that there was no way I would ever be able to upstage Rachel.

"Are we ready to get this show on the road?" I had begun to get impatient because they were just staring at each other and I longed to be as far away from Rachel as I possibly could and being lost in a crowd of people was the best way to do that.

"Yeah, let's get going."

Once we got to the party I immediately drowned myself in the endless sea of people and got as far away from Harvey and Rachel as I possibly could. I picked up a drink on the way and stood against the far wall and hoped that none of these jackasses hit on me. I had seen some of their wandering eyes and I wasn't in the mood for these yuppies to try and get lucky with me.

As I sipped my champagne, which didn't suit my taste at all but I needed some type of alcohol, I watched as the people mingled. I watched them laugh their laughs, walk their walks, and talk their talks. It all honestly made me want to puke.

"I appreciate you coming, but you didn't have to actually drink champagne."

"Shut up, Bruce. It's not like there is any other type of alcohol here for me to drink."

"Here," Bruce handed me a champagne flute that was filled with an amber liquid which I could only guess was beer.

"Oh, Bruce you're a life saver!" I swear beer never tasted so good in my entire life. Once I took a drink I got a good look at Bruce.

He was wearing a black suit with a blue tie and a _very_ lightly tinted blue shirt. His hair was perfectly slicked back; in other words he looked absolutely perfect.

"Lookin' sharp there Brucie."

"Why thank you and may I say that you also look very good. The dress wasn't too expensive I hope."

"Nope, we went halves," I flicked the credit card back at him and walked away laughing.

As I walked back toward the crowd of people I spotted Rachel but when I looked around Harvey was nowhere to be found. So I walked back to where I just was to see if Bruce knew where he was, but he wasn't there anymore either.

That's when it happened.

I heard someone come out of the elevator and say, "We made it," and then two gunshots were fired. When I turned around I saw him, it was The Joker; just looking at him sent a chill down my spine.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. We are tonight's entertainment," He was walking around the room and was eating some food while his men were pointing their guns at people and making them back up.

I looked for my sister and hoped that she wouldn't do anything stupid because I knew that he was here looking for Harvey.

"I only have one question: where. is. Harvey. Dent?" He was looking around at the people, but no one would look him in the face.

The Joker drank some champagne then walked up to some people and asked, "Do you know where Harvey is? Do you know who he is? Do you know where I can find Harvey? I need to talk to him about something, just something little. Huh? No."

"You know, I'll settle for his loved ones."

He walked away from them and toward some other people where he ate some more food and then finally someone had the courage to stand up to him, "We're not intimidated by thugs." That was obviously not what he wanted to hear because The Joker walked up to the old man and squinted his eyes at him.

"You know, you remind me of my father." He then took out a knife and held it up to the man's face, "I _hated_ my father."

"Ok, stop." _Shit._ Why the hell did Rachel have to speak out like an idiot? The Joker started to walk toward _her_ now.

"Well, hello beautiful," He adjusted his hair as he walked toward her and then he pointed his knife at her, "You must be Harvey's squeeze, hm? And you are beautiful." His knife was leaving imprints in my mind of him stabbing her or giving her the same scars that he had so I decided to act.

I pulled out the pistol that was strapped to my thigh and pointed it at his shoulder and it clipped him. Once he recovered he furiously turned around.

"Don't you _**dare**_ touch my sister." My voice sounded calm and deadly but I was shaking on the inside.

He spun his knife around in his fingers as he slowly stalked toward me. A twisted grin appeared on his face as I took a step back from him. I kept my gun pointed at him but I knew that I wouldn't be able to _shoot_ him and try to kill him. He jumped forward quickly and grabbed me by the arms and I struggled with all of my strength to get free. With one quick movement he had the gun out of my hands and across the room.

"No no no no _**NO!**_Don't _struggle_…. unless, uh, you _want_ everyone in this room to, uh, _die_."

I ceased my movements in a heartbeat. His smile turned into a smirk.

"That's a _good_ girl," He leaned forward and grabbed my face but I averted my eyes and they landed on Rachel. She looked so worried but I just smiled at her. "What's your name _gorgeous_?"

"Uh, Jennifer… Jennifer Dawes." I refused to look at him even though he kept turning my face to try and force me to look him in the eyes.

"Look at me, Jennifer, _look at me_." He brought his knife up to my face and my green eyes snapped to his dark and desolate ones. "Why don't you want to look at me _gorgeous?_ Is it because of my _scars?_ Do you uh, want to know how I got them? Hmm?"

I didn't want to speak to the madman but I was curious, "H-how?" Damn I stuttered.

He took his knife and stuck it in my mouth, "So I had a wife, beautiful, like you. Who tells me I worry too much, who tells me I oughta smile more, who gambles and gets in deep with the sharks. One day they carve her face and we have no money for surgeries, she can't take it. I just wanna see her smile again. I just want her to know that I don't care about the scars. So, I stick a razor in my mouth and do this," He motioned to the scars on each side of his face with his knife, "to myself, and you know what? She can't stand the _sight_ of me! She leaves. Now I see the funny side, now I'm always smiling!"

It was a touching story, but since he was distracted I took advantage of the window of opportunity that I was presented with. I kicked him in the shin and while he was doubled over I ran. Apparently I didn't run fast enough because he grabbed me once again.

"Oh he he, ha. A little fight in you, I like that."

"Then you're gonna love me," I couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped me as Batman began to fight with Joker and his goons. During the fight I couldn't help but watch because it was the most action that I had seen in my entire life; that was a mistake because Joker was able to break free and he grabbed me again. This time he had a gun though and he was pulling me toward a window.

Bruce, I mean Batman, turned around and he was furious, "Drop the gun."

"Oh, sure. You just take off your little mask and show us all who you _really_ are. Hm? Ha ha ha ha." Joker shot out the window behind us and I knew what was coming next. He pulled me back and leaned me out the window; only holding onto my forearm. The cool air was whipping my hair around and I as I looked down I realized just how far up we were. I was completely petrified.

I looked at Batman and pleaded with my eyes for him to save me, "Let her go."

_Shit, wrong words. _"Very poor choice of words," Joker let me go and laughed maniacally.

I was falling to the ground so quickly that I couldn't catch my breath. The next thing I knew strong arms were around me and Batman and I were spinning toward the ground. Thankfully we landed on top of a car and we weren't hurt.

"Thanks," I was surprised that I could even talk because my heart was beating a thousand times faster than normal and my whole body was shaking.

"It's my job," Was his only reply to me.

My first run in with The Joker didn't turn out very well, but I couldn't help but feel that that wasn't the last time I'd see him.


	3. Authors Note

A/N

I just realized a couple of days ago that my story has a lot of holes in it, and thank you to Laurenmlbc for pointing out some of the flaws and I'm almost done with the third chapter so when I finish that I'll go back and add to the first two chapters to fill in the gaps so watch for that. Thanks for reading! A lot more people are reading than I ever expected.


	4. Hello Gorgeous

Disclaimer: I do not own The Dark Knight

Chapter 3: Hello Gorgeous

It had been a week since the party and everyone had pretty much forgotten about it. The news was done discussing it and people I knew were done asking me if I'm ok and blah blah.

It was just another day of doing basically no work at Wayne Enterprises. I had finished _Sense and Sensibility _and had moved onto _The Divine Comedy_.

The day after I was thrown out the window I had returned to work, but I began to have second thoughts about where my life was going and where I wanted it to go. Being a secretary forever was definitely not how I wanted my life to go.

I'm starting to think that I need to seriously prioritize my life and figure out what it is that I love to do and how I can turn that into a career that will keep my life stable. The only problem is that there is almost nothing that I love to do besides read and sit in the park and stare at the ducks that play around in the pond.

Actually there is another problem that I have with doing something I love; it's my parents. Anything that I love they always seem to think that it's a waste of my time and will never get me anywhere in life. I want to make my parents proud just like any normal child does, but as I get older and they disagree with my decisions more and more I can tell that I'll never be able to meet their expectations and make them proud.

I sighed as I set my book down on my desk and rubbed my eyes. Thinking about how life is too short to waste and seizing my future is an exhausting subject.

"What are you doing here on such a _be-utiful_ day?" I winced at Bruce's falsely cheery voice because I knew that he was just trying to hide how tired he was. He had been chasing The Joker all over Gotham since the party.

"I'm doing this thing called work."

He raised his eyebrow at me, "Is this what you call work?" He swept his hand over my desk motioning to my propped up feet and the book resting on my desk.

"Well maybe I would actually work if you gave me something to _work on_." The end of my sentence held a little bite in it, but I just couldn't help it because I was becoming more and more agitated by everything.

"So you're telling me that you actually _want _to work?"

"No~ I'm just saying that you can't tell me that I'm not working when there is no work for me to do," Score one for me!

"Touché," A thoughtful look came across his face as he stared at the framed pictures of me and my sister on my desk, "How about you take the rest of the day off since you're done with all of your 'work' and since I have nothing left for you to do."

I looked at him for a moment and came up with a suitable reply, "Will I receive a full days pay?"

He rolled his eyes and laughed, "Yeah, sure. Now go seize the day!" I stared at him with my eyebrows raised, "A little bit too cliché?"

"Just a bit, but I guess I have no choice but to go do I?"

"No, now go."

"Thanks Bruce," He just smiled at me as I put my things in my messenger bag and walked away toward the elevator.

Once I reached he front doors of the building I was about to put my coat on but I saw that the sun was shining and that passers by weren't wearing any coats so I decided to just forget about it.

As I walked down the busy streets in the warm sunshine I tried to think of what I wanted to do with my day off. I thought about what I loved to do the most when the sun was shining and I didn't have to worry about anything else. I was off to the park.

I sat on the bench in front of the pond in the park and watched the ducks swim aimlessly in circles. They knew that spring was almost here so they would be here to stay until fall came and the once again flew away for the winter.

They seemed so peaceful and carefree and I wondered why I couldn't be like them. Never worrying about what others wanted me to do and just following my instincts and doing what's best for _me._ I know that sounds selfish but when you've spent your entire life being pushed by everyone to go one way when you want to go another it would be a nice change to do what you want.

I looked around the park and saw that it was completely deserted. There wasn't a single person flying a kite or playing with their dog; which was strange because the people of Gotham seized every warm day that we got until spring.

It didn't take me long to figure out why no one was there because an eerily familiar voice came from right behind me.

"Hello _gorgeous._"

**A/N: I know it's short, but I wanted to leave you in suspense! Haha. Plus I wanted to get to work on filling in the gaps! Any suggestions you have are helpful! Thanks :D**


	5. Taken

Disclaimer: I do not own The Dark Knight

Chapter 4: Taken

"Hello _gorgeous._"

My breath hitched in my throat as I slowly turned around. I was met with the painted face of The Joker and the grin on his face made me worried to look down at the bench. My eyes slowly drifted down to the bench and I noticed that the spot that was once occupied by my bag was now empty. Well there goes the idea of using my gun.

"Looking for _this?_" He had it, he had my goddamn gun. He slowly pulled out the clip and slid it in his jacket then handed the gun to one of his men that were standing behind him with clown masks on. "Might as well separate the, uh, _lock_ from the _key._"

I stood up and faced him, "What do you want with me?"

He let out a laugh that only served to moch me. I tried to wait patiently for him to stop his hysterical laughter but my patience was already paper thin, "Oh, he he ha. You, _princess,_ are the _key_ to unravel the foundation of _Harvey Dent._"

"_What_ are you talking about?" His plan made no sense because if he wanted to unravel Harvey he should have gone after Rachel.

"You see with you, uh, _gone_ your sister will most likely, uh, fall apart and _break down_. In the process she will cut _everyone _out of her life until, uh, sister dearest is back. This will _kill_ Dent and everything else will go out the window, even Gotham's safety," During his little shpiel Joker began to walk around the bench and toward me but I backed away from him with every advance he made.

He quickly reached out and pulled me to him so that his mouth was right next to my ear, "That's it, goodbye Harvey Dent and goodbye Gotham. You see that is my _ultimate_ goal; to, uh, _shake_ Gotham to its very _core_ and cause _chaos _and _destruction._"

I stared past his shoulder, which I could barely see over, at the street which seemed like it was miles away. There was no possible way that I could run away from this man because he would catch up to me too quickly.

"So, are we going to do this they easy way or the _hard_ way?"

I knew I should have chosen the easy way, but I'm foolish and refuse to _ever_ give up without a fight. All of my earlier worries about being caught ran out of my head and I took off in the opposite direction of him.

I knew this was the dumbest possible way to run because I was only running farther away from anyone who could possibly help me. I didn't care anymore because I just wanted to get away from him by any means necessary; plus I have run track since I started middle school so needless to say I'm a pretty fast runner.

I was able to run half way across the park before being tackled by someone, a HUGE someone. The wind was knocked right out of me and I wasn't able to catch my breath because they were sitting on my rib cage.

Moments later Joker walked up to me, smiling and laughing, "He he. So you thought you could _run_ did you? Well me being me, I was able to, uh, _anticipate_ your movements even before I came up to you. You see you, just like _every other fool_ in this city, are _completely_, uh, predictable."

I was completely exhausted and I couldn't fight anymore. Apparently that wasn't good enough for him because he stomped on my ankle with all of his strength. I screamed in agony and knew that my ankle was broken.

He cackled loudly and his goon got off of me, "Whoops! No more running for you!"

Joker reached down and threw me over his shoulder and walked back toward the street. He threw me into the back of a van and began speeding away. I had pretty much lost all of my will to fight. The pain in my ankle was unbearable so I let go and passed out.

**A/N: Wow, this chapter is horrendously short! I'll have to make up for it in the next one. Ok I don't mean to upset any joker fans out there who read this because I'm a huge one, but for some reason I feel like I should make this a BruceXOC story… It just seems to fit this particular scenario. If I do change the pairing I'll write a new JokerXOC story where the female lead has no affiliation with Bruce and is willing to go with Joker. Thoughts please!** **I'm happy to report that I have fixed the holes in the first two chapters so you now know what she looks like and where she got the gun. lol**


	6. This Sucks!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Dark Knight

Chapter 5: This Sucks

When I woke up my head was punding. I thought I had a wicked hangover, but I looked around and remembered everything that had happened. I had been kidnapped by the Joker; fucking great.

The room I was in had no furnishings aside from a small pillow, but it did have a window, but it was deadbolted shut. I noticed that I wasn't tied up, bound, or restrained in any way. _Strange, but I don't think the Joker is that big of a dumbass not to tie me up when I could escape. _

I stood up, careful not to put any weight on my left leg, and balanced myself against the wall. I only had to take a few hops before I reached the door. I tried not to get my hopes up as I reached for the handle.

When I gripped the doorknob and tried to turn it, it stayed stationary. "Oh! Now I see! The door is locked and so is the window, so there's now way for me to escape and therefore no reason for me to be tied up. I banged my fist on the door, "Son of a bitch!"

I huffed then turned around and hopped toward the window. My forehead rested against the cool glass as I gazed at the glowing city before me. I always loved the way it lit up at night and looked so alive and also peaceful.

A feeling of lonliness and hopelessness settled over me as I silently cursed my captor. How could I feel so far away from Gotham when I was still in it? Beats the shit out of me.

"Oh goody, you're up!" I whipped around at the sound of the Joker's voice. The color of his hair and his makeup looked extremely bright, fresh, and new so I assumed he had just reapplied it. Funny, I thought the bastard never bothered with showers or any kind of personal hygene whatsoever. He had a sick grin plastered on his face, "You know, I was beginning to get lonely." He attempted to pout but settled for laughing instead.

"What do you want?" My words were cool and quipped. I didn't intend to waste any unnecessary breath on this man.

"I brought you dinner princess!" He indicated to the tray in his hands. He placed it on the floor, "Eat up! You're going to need plenty of energy for, uh, _later_." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively then left the room cackling.

I nearly threw up thinking about what he might have planned for me. I knew one thing for certain though; I wasn't going to let anyone touch me. I would die before that happened.

I soon grew bored with staring longingly out the window and returned to my original spot on the carpet. I took one look at the food in front of me and slid it across the floor. I wasn't going to risk being poisoned and I wasn't hungry anyway.

The pillow sitting beside me started to look extremely comfortable and alluring, so I decided that laying down for a while couldn't hurt me.

As I laid there I couldn't help but think that I was going to be stuck in this god forsaken room forever. Altought I knew that wasn't true because I knew that Bruce would surely look for me. Right?

_I hope he's not too worried about me_. I could just see him pacing back in forth in his office just waiting for night to fall. Yes, then he would pounce into action and his Batman suit would slide onto his perfectly toned body.

_Whoa! Where did that come from? Bruce is just my boss and friend and nothing more! No matter how perfectly chiseled his abs and pecs are_.

I felt a little disappointed at the thought that Bruce would never see me as anything more than a friend. _God! What is with me today? I've never though about him this way before!_

I didn't understand why I was feeling this way all of a sudden; why I was feeling so… attached to Bruce.

"Ugh, this sucks!" I sighed and clenched my eyes shut; trying desperately to block out all of my thoughts.

It took what seemed like hours for me to fall asleep, but I was finally able to silence my thoughts long enough to drift to sleep.

**A/N: I'm surprised too… but I thought if I updated it might be a nice little christmas gift! Happy Holidays!**


	7. Update

Um wow I haven't thought about this story much for a few years, but if anyone is still reading this I have decided to change it because I don't like it. I want to finish something for once so I will be working hard the next couple of days to rework this story. 


	8. My Life - Rewrite

Disclaimer: I do not own The Dark Knight

This is the revised Chapter 1. I hope to have them all revised and re-posted by the end of the weekend. Enjoy :D

**Chapter 1: My Life**

The world is a mysterious place and I have never been able to figure it out. I'm not even sure that I really want to figure it out because that would require me to thrust myself into the dangers that this city has to offer.

Gotham seemed to be okay until one man decided enough was enough and that things needed to change. That one man is Batman. The masked crusader has brought unrest to the under city of Gotham, and with his appearance the good cops were able to stand up and retake control of their city. The Batman has revolutionized the way this city and it's thugs operate, and Gotham may finally see light once more with his help.

My name is Jennifer Dawes and my life has never been particularly easy for me to live. My older sister is Rachel Dawes and she has always been the perfect one in my parent's eyes and because of her my parents set the highest bars for me to jump over, but I've never been able to jump that high.

Rachel and I look pretty much the same. We are both 5'9" and have brown hair, but she has blue eyes and I have green. There are some differences in our facial shape because her face is round and doll like while mine is more square and defined. Basically she reflects our mother more and I reflect our father more.

My sister has always gone for the men who belong to the highest parts of society, the upper crust if you will. I'm nothing like that, I go for the opposite. I go for the type of guy who hangs out in biker bars and probably sleeps with every skank on lower Broadway. I think it's because I'm afraid to get my heart truly broken by the perfect man, so I go for a guy that I can say 'he was a jerk anyway' when the relationship goes down the shitter. Sometimes though... I wish that just once I could be with somebody worth it.

I don't want to go off on some long diatribe about my life, because it's... complicated and I don't really think about the past anymore. I love my life right now, but the past always just seems to haunt me so I will make my story as quick and painless as possible.

Basically once my sister was out of the house my parents moved me away from Gotham to the country so I spent my high school life with farm boys and girls. The kids at school were nice enough but I just never seemed to have anything in common with them. They were country and I was city. My parents said they moved me because I needed to rid myself of my wicked ways and that the city was polluting my mind. I guess they just wanted me to have the same sense of pride and class like my sister.

If I sound a little bitter about Rachel, I don't mean to. I love Rachel, she's my older sister, and she's pretty much all I have left. I say that because after college our parents, well I guess I should say her parents, disowned me. They told me that I will never amount to anything and that I should just give up. It broke my heart to have the people who are supposed to love me most in the world say those things to me.

Anyway, to sum up my story, after high school I came back to the city and went to Gotham U for a few years but after I received my bachelors in biological sciences and zoology I decided not to go to grad school and, instead, I got a job - hence the disowning.

The only part of my day that gives me solace is when I get to go down to Wayne Enterprises and bury myself in a good long book. I'm Bruce Wayne's assistant and since he is hardly ever in his office I never have anything to do except sit back and enjoy a good read. He gave me the job as a favor from one friend to another. When I told him that I was working downtown in a shady tattoo parlor as a receptionist for shitty pay he offered me a job as his assistant. He told me his previous assistant had quit but on my first day of work I saw her storming out of the building in a huff. I was a bit surprised but I wasn't going to argue.

From then on my life seemed to be pretty okay. I made decent money and was able to pay off all my bills every month. I'm not dating anyone but that's an accomplishment as well because it means that I haven't been hanging around shady bars looking for trouble. Things with Rachel are really great too, so I really have nothing to complain about.

Today was just another day in the office and I was currently reclining back in my comfy chair with my feet on my desk reading _Sense and Sensibility _by Jane Austen. My heels were making a clicking sound because I can never keep my feet still so they were clacking together.

I heard the sound of long, sure strides as someone walked quickly along the marble floors. My head shot up as someone pushed my feet off of my desk and sat down on it. I rolled my eyes at Bruce's goofy grin and continued to read. My concentration didn't last long because he began to talk.

"So, are you busy after work?" I set my book down on my desk and looked at him for a moment. I took in his black Valentino suit, red tie, and perfectly white smile and couldn't help my heart skipping a beat.

"Am I ever busy Bruce?"

"No, I guess not. You need to get yourself a life."

"Yeah, thanks. I'll just run down to Wal-Mart and grab one on my way home. Oh, hey do I get to charge it on the company credit card?" I loved the little games we played.

"On what grounds would I let you do that?"

"On the grounds of you being an ass," I shifted in my seat and glanced at the clock. _3:59, only one more minute._

"Ouch, you cut right to the core of me," He placed his hand over his heart and feigned being hurt and I just laughed at him. "No, but seriously, I'm hosting a charity event tonight and I need your assistance."

I raised my eyebrows at him, "My assistance Mr. Wayne? But why would a handsome, debonair billionaire ever need the assistance of a lowly assistant." I flashed a toothy grin as he rolled his eyes at my remark.

"Come on, you're one of my oldest friends and I happen to value your opinion."

Sensing the conversation becoming more serious I decided to stop joking around for now, "Okay Bruce, what can I help you with?"

He fidgeted with my desk for a moment then reached for my book and began to scan the contents.

I stared at him for a moment, confused as to his change in demeanor. "Bruce..." I waived my hands in front of him and he looked up at me.

"I need you to help me..." He trailed off briefly, contemplating what to say, "Find a date."

My jaw dropped and I was in complete awe of the situation, "Whoa whoa whoa... Bruce Wayne, biggest playboy in Gotham city, maybe even the world, wants _my_ help to find a date?" I stood up abruptly and put my hand on his forehead, "Are you sick? Should we take you to the hospital?"

He pushed my hand away and stood up, "Ha ha you're so witty and funny."

"I try." I laughed lightly and sat back down in my chair, "Alright Bruce you have my assistance with this... dire matter." I waived my arms dramatically and he shook his head.

"Ignoring your sarcasm, I really appreciate your help." His eyes shifted to my computer briefly then back to me, "Let's start now."

I glanced at the clock and noticed that it was now 4:07. "Look at that... overtime!"

I put my book into my purse and turned off my computer. "Ready?" Bruce clapped his hands together in... excitement? This man sure is a mystery sometimes.

I shrugged my coat on as we walked toward the elevator.

"So, where are we shopping for your date?" I giggled as we stepped into the elevator.

Bruce shifted slightly, "Don't say it like that."

"Why not?"

He gazed sideways at me, "Because it sounds like we're looking for a hooker."

"Geez, I didn't know you were so picky."

He crossed his arms and peered forward, clearly unamused.

"Okay, okay I'm sorry. I'll be serious..." I noticed his shoulders relax a little bit. I smiled at him, "Serious while we shop for your date."

He hung his head and groaned, this was going to be a long afternoon.

**A/N:** I hope you all liked the rewrite of chapter 1. I'm going to keep the old chapters posted as a comparison for me while I'm making revisions, but I will take them down once I'm finished.

please review :)


	9. Street Shopping

Disclaimer: I do no own The Dark Knight

So This is chapter 2 of my rewrite. Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 2: Street Shopping**

The air was chilly as we exited the lobby of the skyscraper. It was mid February, so we are right on the ass end of winter. Only another month before things would begin to heat up again.

Bruce and I walked out onto the sidewalk, and I was a little more than confused as to how we were going to find a date for him.

"So, where are we doing this?" I shivered a little bit before reaching into my purse and pulling out my gloves.

I noticed him scanning the area before his eyes rested on the busiest corner a block away from Wayne Enterprises. He pointed in the direction where he saw the most merit, "Right there."

We walked accross the busy street and past a few businesses before stopping on the designated sidewalk. I turned toward the street then back to Bruce. "How is this going to work? Are you just going to pick someone willy nilly and say 'Oh, she looks promising!' I thought you had more class than that."

He never stopped observing the passers by while I was speaking. I was shocked at how many young women there were on the street. Most of them would stare and giggle as they passed by us, some of them even winked at Bruce. It was a little hard to stomach watching all of these women swoon.

I looked down at the ground and kicked the sidewalk, " This is pathetic," I mumbled hoping he hadn't heard.

Apparently I hoped too soon because I saw his head turn toward me in my peripheral vision. He had that stupid grin on his face, "A little jealous?"

My head shot up and I laughed, "You wish Wayne."

He studied me for another second before turning his gaze back onto the street, "To answer your question, no that's not how we're going to do this... You're going to choose for me."

I turned my head and just stared at him, "You're joking."

He laughed lightly, "No I'm not. I told you I needed your assistance, didn't I?"

I was completely baffled and I couldn't help the loud laugh that escaped my lips, "This is what you want me to do? What the hell? What am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to judge each one on their own individual merits?" My volume had increased when I got lost in the passion of my arguement, "Oh, look at her! She's got a nice ass, but wait! See that one over there? Her rack is incredible! Bruce, it's all he same when you stand here on the street corner picking women based solely on their looks. Odds are you aren't going to find anyone of quality when you do that. This is absolutely ludacris."

He let out a loud, boisterous laugh as I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. "I know, and I can't believe you actually thought I was serious about picking someone at random." He placed his gloved hand on my shoulder and leaned down, "I just wanted to get a rise out of you."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, you're hilarious."

We stood on the street for a few minutes in silence, but when the wind picked up I was no longer in the mood to stand idly on a street corner.

"So what is that you want me to do, Bruce?"

He was still just standing there, casually watching the busy people pass back and forth, "I want you to go with me."

I wasn't sure if I had hear him right, "You want... me to go with you." I said it as a statement to reiterate what he had just said, to make sure I understood.

"Yes." Was his simple reply as he turned towards me.

I had to admit I was more than a little skeptical of his request, "Why?"

"What do you mean 'Why?'"

My eyebrows furrowed a little bit, "Why do you want me to go with you?"

Suddenly the playful air disappeared and was replaced with uneasy tension. He looked a little surprised that I hadn't agreed to go with him yet.

"I want you to go with me because I'm not in the mood to go with an airhead supermodel, and the person I want to go with is..." He trailed off and it looked like he wished he hadn't said anything.

My anger arose from nowhere and I decided to finish his sentence for him, "Rachel."

He gave me terse nod and his lips were set in a hard line.

My mood had darkened considerably and I suddenly wanted to be anywhere else.

"Gee Bruce you really know how to butter me up." His eyebrows shot up and his mood seemed to grow darker as well. "You expect me to go with you when you're standing here telling me that you only want to go with me because you have no one better to go with?"

He straightened up and took a step toward me, "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"No, it is what you meant and you know it." I let out an aggravated laugh and ran my hand through my hair.

"Jennifer, I don't understand..."

I was no longer comprehending the current situation, so I turned around and looked at the street behind me. I saw a locally famous opera singer coming out of the music hall. She was tall and beautiful, so I walked quickly towards her ignoring the loud "Hey!" coming from Bruce behind me.

I approached her rapidly and she looked a little startled as I thrust my hand out to her, "Hi you're Jenae Demarcus, right?" Before she had any time to answer I continued, "Do you see that guy standing back there?" I turned around and gestured to where Bruce was standing, "That's Bruce Wayne and he would be honored, no, humbled if you would attend a charity ball with him tonight."

I turned my attention back to the opera singer who looked more than satisfied, "If he wants to go with me so badly, why doesn't he ask me himself?"

"Well you see he's a little shy because of your, um, unparalleled beauty and sophistocation. The poor guy just couldn't seem to find the right words." I paused for a moment and she looked stunned, "So, what do you say?"

Her deer in the headlights look faded and she reached up to fix her hair, "Of course, I would be more than delighted."

She brushed past me quickly and I turned around and watched her approach Bruce, "So I hear you want me to go to a charity ball with you?" Her voice was seductive as she swayed her hips.

Bruce stared at me, astounded, then regained his composure and put his arm around her, "Of course! There's no one I would rather go with."

I shook my head lightly, let out a bitter laugh, and started my long walk home.

**A/N:** I am realizing that this story is astronomically different than the first, but I hope you like this one too.

Please review :)


	10. Untitled

Disclaimer: I do not own The Dark Knight

**Chapter 3: Untitled**

Here I stand on Rachel's doorstep; the bitter winter wind stinging my face. I know I was going to walk home, but something told me to just go to Rachel's and things would be okay.

I find it to be amazing that I have been in a thousand fights about Rachel, but I have never been in a fight with Rachel. I thought about the debacle I just had with Bruce and I couldn't really figure out wether it was about Rachel or not.

That thought really caught my attention. What was our arguement actually about? Why had it turned so sour so quickly? Why did I behave the way I did? I was appaled by my earlier behavior and I knew that I had to apoligize to Bruce the next time I saw him.

Feeling ashamed and stupid I opened the door to Rachel's apartment and closed it quietly behind me. The warmth was an enormous comfort considering I was out in the twenty degree weather for over an hour.

I suddenly felt overburdened and tired so I removed my shoes and collapsed onto Rachel's white suede couch. I covered my face with my hands and exhaled deeply. The days events really wore on me, but I couldn't figure out why. Maybe that's why I came here, because Rachel always had a way of seeing things that I couldn't.

Speaking of Rachel, where the hell is she. I stood up and walked into the kitchen, then down the hallway to the left. I noticed that the bathroom door was closed and the light was on.

Instead of sitting down on the couch again I decided to walk around while I waited. Rachel's apartment was always... incredible. In comparison my place looked like a hole in the wall. The space in this place was definitely adequate, and it always looked so neat and tidy. The decor was so simple and elegant.

I used to tell Rachel that she should become an interior designer so that she could renovate my place for free, but she would always come back by saying that she would always put business before personal relationships.

I laughed at the memory and started to look at the picture frames that lined her mantle. There was one in a silver frame of her and her boyfriend, Harvey Dent, at the commissioner's ball last fall. They looked like the perfect couple, Harvey with his broad smile holding up a glass of champagne with his arm around Rachel while she leaned into his shoulder looking blissful. Being honest with myself it brought up a pang of jealousy to see their happiness. To be clear I'm not jealous of her being with Harvey, I'm just a little jealous that she found so much happiness with someone else but I just can't seem to find it.

I shook the thoughts from my head and moved on to the next picture. This one was of her and myself when I had graduated from college. She had both her arms around me in an embrace while I held up my degree. We both looked so happy and I couldn't help the grin that crept up on my face.

There were a few pictures of her with people I didn't recognize that I skimmed over briefly, and there was also one with her and her parents that I definitely passed by.

The last picture that caught my attention was small, and hidden behind a few larger frames. I picked it up gently to inspect it. It was a picture of her with Bruce. They looked to be ten or eleven, and they were playing with a frisbee. Upon closer inspection of the picture I saw myself in the background... six years old and playing in the dirt. The nostalgia was overwhelming, and I couldn't help but wish I could go back and be a carefree child again.

I heard the bathroom door open so I placed the picture back in its original position among the others.

"Hey, Rach?" I called out to her knowing that she was probably busy getting ready for the event.

Upon receiving no reply I started toward the hallway and noticed that the bathroom door was open and her bedroom light was on. Rachel was busying herself, going back and forth between the two rooms, trying to get ready.

I laughed softly and leaned against the wall, content to watch the chaos ensue. Despite how much of rush she was in she looked incredible. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, slightly curling over her shoulders. The dress she was wearing was absolutely gorgeous. It was a simple black evening dress that had a strap going across her chest and over one shoulder. Simple and elegant, as usual.

After another minute of observation I decided to make my presence known to her.

I cleared my throat loudly, "Rachel."

As she was passing between her bathroom and bedroom her head whipped toward me and she jumped a little bit. Realization dawned on her face and she let out a breathy laugh.

"You scared the hell out of me." She walked up and hugged me quickly before returning to the bathroom to put on the final touches of her makeup.

I chuckled and stood in the frame of the bathroom door, "Hello to you too."

She rolled her eyes as she lightly applied her dark mascara, "What do you expect when you're skulking around my hallway in the dark?"

I feigned shock, "Skulking?! You think I was skulking? Perish the thought dear sister."

"Okay, okay. So what's up? Not that I don't enjoy your company, but why are you here? Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

I turned and walked toward her bedroom, "That was way too many questions in a row."

She hurried into the bedroom while I lazily sprawled across her bed and sighed.

"Aren't you going to the charity event tonight?"

"No." At my quipped answer she turned to me with a look on her face that was asking for answers.

Not knowing exactly what to say I decided to just tell her everything that had happened earlier with Bruce. By the time I finished explaining the situation I was sitting up with my legs crossed and Rachel was standing by her closet just listening to me. That's what I love about her, when I talk to her she never judges - she just listens.

I began to wring my hands together anxiously. She was being so quiet and the look of contemplation on her face wasn't any help either. I'm not even sure why I was so nervous for her response.

She brushed a stray hair from her brow and tilted her head to the side slightly, "I'm confused, Jen. Why did this little tiff start in the first place?"

"I have no idea! I mean we were joking around at first then you came up and things got tense..."

Realization dawned on her face, "Are you sure it was about me?"

Okay, now I was the one confused, "What else could it have been about?"

"Well, maybe..." She trailed off for a moment and contemplated her choice of words, "Do you think it was less about me and more about you... and the possibility that you might be harboring secret feelings for Bruce?"

"Hell no!" I shouted indignantly... possibly a little too indignantly.

"Really?" She put her hands on her hips and eyed me suspiciously, "Are you sure?"

My cheeks burned a little so I turned away quickly with a scowl painted on my face, "Yes, positive."

Rachel sighed lightly and began to put her shoes on, "Okay then, whatever you say." She proceeded to grab her clutch from her nightstand and stood in front of me once more. I turned my head back to her as she began to speak, "Are you sure you aren't going to go?"

I thought for several moments and decided that it would be better if I did not attend, "In light of the days events, I think it might be in everyone's best interest if I do not go. You know bad juju."

Her eyes fell downward in dissappointment, but she swiftly regained her composure and squared her shoulders, "I think it would be best that you go and apoligize. You do feel bad right?"

My eyes widened, "Of course! I was stupid and childish, and...dramatic."

"There you go. So go and get ready. I expect you to be there in the next two hours."

"Okay, mother." She let out a loud laugh at my defeated tone and tapped me on the shoulder with her clutch.

"It'll be okay, I promise!" She smiled widely then looked at her watch, "Is that the time? Shit, I have to go! Harvey is probably already there!"

I laughed and removed myself from my position on her bed and followed her lead out of her apartment. We were standing outside in the bitter cold as she fiddled with her keys, looking for the right one. She let out a quiet "Aha!" as she found the right one.

Once she locked the door she turned to me, "About what I said earlier about you having feelings for Bruce... I think you should really think about it and try to figure out what's really going on."

"I'll try. Thank you Rachel."

We embraced tightly then she pulled away and began walking north to catch a cab. I began walking south toward my home not even hoping for a cab to pass me. The walk was long, and obviously I had a lot to think about.

"Don't forget I want you there in two hours!"

I smiled widely, turned around, and waved at Rachel in acknowledgement of her order. My thoughts would have to wait until later, because now I had to run home - lest I make Rachel angry.

**A/N:** Ok... so this was just supposed to be a filler chapter and I think it fits that description perfectly. I've been thinking about the original story and I have no idea what to do with it... I guess if you guys want me to continue I could try, but I would definitely have to rewrite some things and maybe make it a joker fic.  
Please review :)


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